Okaloosa school district employees see raises

By KATIE TAMMEN / Daily News

Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 04:10 PM.

FORT WALTON BEACH — Teacher pay issues in Okaloosa County are one vote closer to being finalized.

The Okaloosa County School Board unanimously voted to approve a proposed pay schedule for teachers that would guarantee at least a three percent pay increase for all teachers except those at the top of the pay scale. Teachers at the top would see about a two percent increase.

With the board’s green light, the only step left is a ratification vote by all teachers on Dec. 18.

In addition to the teacher salaries, the board also approved new salary schedules for all the other employees in the district including support staff and administrators. Those schedules were finalized with the board’s approval Monday.

After the meeting ended, both the Okaloosa County Education Association and the Okaloosa County Educational Support Professionals Association expressed gratitude to the board for approving the pay increases.

Exact amounts of the raises will vary, but employees overall will see about a 3.33 percent increase in pay for the current school year. The increase will be reflected in the first January paycheck, said Rita Scallan, the chief financial officer for the district.

Employees also will receive a back-pay check mid-month for the increase not included in prior checks this school year.

The board did not discuss the pay schedules before voting at the meeting.

During Monday’s meeting the board agreed to settle another pay issue with OCEA as well.

Under the settlement, which became official Tuesday morning, OCEA will drop the unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint it filed against the district at the beginning of the year as long as the district will remedy a problem with first year teacher pay from the 2011-2012 school year, according to Greg Butler, the executive director of OCEA.

Under the agreement the affected teachers will all receive an additional $4.82 per day from the beginning of their employment through January 2012.

OCEA filed the initial complaint against the district shortly after the school board ruled to uphold the district’s decision not to pay teachers a step increase during the 2011-2012 school year. At the time, the district asserted they didn’t have the funding for it and OCEA asserted the district was contractually obligated to pay it.

This agreement resolves all issues in the ULP and hopefully the strained relationship created when the district refused to pay a step increase for the first time in recent history, Butler said.

“We want the olive branch out there,” he said. “We want to move on – give the new administration and school board all of our support, and hope they do the same.”

FORT WALTON BEACH — Teacher pay issues in Okaloosa County are one vote closer to being finalized.

The Okaloosa County School Board unanimously voted to approve a proposed pay schedule for teachers that would guarantee at least a three percent pay increase for all teachers except those at the top of the pay scale. Teachers at the top would see about a two percent increase.

With the board’s green light, the only step left is a ratification vote by all teachers on Dec. 18.

In addition to the teacher salaries, the board also approved new salary schedules for all the other employees in the district including support staff and administrators. Those schedules were finalized with the board’s approval Monday.

After the meeting ended, both the Okaloosa County Education Association and the Okaloosa County Educational Support Professionals Association expressed gratitude to the board for approving the pay increases.

Exact amounts of the raises will vary, but employees overall will see about a 3.33 percent increase in pay for the current school year. The increase will be reflected in the first January paycheck, said Rita Scallan, the chief financial officer for the district.

Employees also will receive a back-pay check mid-month for the increase not included in prior checks this school year.

The board did not discuss the pay schedules before voting at the meeting.

During Monday’s meeting the board agreed to settle another pay issue with OCEA as well.

Under the settlement, which became official Tuesday morning, OCEA will drop the unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint it filed against the district at the beginning of the year as long as the district will remedy a problem with first year teacher pay from the 2011-2012 school year, according to Greg Butler, the executive director of OCEA.

Under the agreement the affected teachers will all receive an additional $4.82 per day from the beginning of their employment through January 2012.

OCEA filed the initial complaint against the district shortly after the school board ruled to uphold the district’s decision not to pay teachers a step increase during the 2011-2012 school year. At the time, the district asserted they didn’t have the funding for it and OCEA asserted the district was contractually obligated to pay it.

This agreement resolves all issues in the ULP and hopefully the strained relationship created when the district refused to pay a step increase for the first time in recent history, Butler said.

“We want the olive branch out there,” he said. “We want to move on – give the new administration and school board all of our support, and hope they do the same.”